Where Grafton Basketball Player Died, the Life-Saving Mission of a Whitefish Bay Family Lives On

When Grafton High School senior Josh Davis-Joiner died during basketball practice Jan. 16, school officials attempted to help him by using a defibrillator—one that was in place due to efforts in the memory of Whitefish Bay student Adam Lemel, who died in the same gym in 1999 due to cardiac arrest.

Though Grafton’s defibrillator could not save Davis-Joiner, and the cause of his death is yet unknown, his passing brought back to the public spotlight the risk of medical emergencies at school, and Adam's family's mission of preparing schools for such situations through Project Automated Difibrilator’s in Adam’s Memory (ADAM).

"When a perfectly healthy 17-year-old suddenly collapses and dies, it truly violates all order," Joe Lemel, Adam's dad, told TMJ4.  "To think that it was in the same spot, in the same place, in the same school as Adam was, I just can't really describe it."

Thirteen years after Adam's family established Project ADAM, operated by Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin's Herma Heart Center, Wisconsin schools have come a long way in establishing response plans, with the majority of schools in the state now owning defibrillators, Project ADAM administrator Debra Klich said.

Project ADAM has helped over 800 schools prepare for cardiac arrest cases by showing staff and students how to recognize warning signs, perform CPR, and use defibrillators.

"As a parent, I decided that Adam's death would not be in vain," Joe wrote in a letter for the project. "I decided that I never wanted another parent to have to watch their child die."

Funded entirely by donations, the project offers grants for the equipment and training necessary for various levels of preparedness. Defibrillators generally cost around $1,200, Klich said, and require weekly check-ups to make sure the batteries and pads haven't expired.

The project has expanded to affiliates in eight other states, and recently had its 56th “save,” when a defibrillator was used on 3-year-old Morgan Frain after she collapsed Jan. 14 at Lambeau Field.

“It helps, every time we have a save, to know we're headed in the right direction,” Klich said. “There used to be a misconception that cardiac arrest can’t happen to kids. Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any time, anywhere.”

To the Grafton community, and those surrounding, that fact is now painfully apparent.

In the Grafton basketball team’s first game after Davis-Joiner’s death, the hosting Port Washington audience wore orange in his memory.

"We've been really pleased with how Port Washington supported us during that game,” Grafton High School Principal Ken McCormick said. “That game was only part of what was going on that night so it was very nice to see both of those communities supporting the young men out there."

Read: Grafton parents for their support at the game.

And at Grafton's home game Tuesday, the whole team wore Davis-Joiner's number on their backs, number 32.

Meanwhile, Adam is not forgotten in his own community. Katie Trapp, a friend of Adam's brother, plans to run 148 miles from Colorado to Utah to raise money for the project.

You can donate to Trapp, or directly to the foundation, here.

To learn about the warning signs of cardiac arrest and how to respond, watch this video by Project ADAM.